‘South China Sea’ Dispute Gets 75% Negative Mentions Online Amid Latest Collision Allegations
A recent study from Capstone-Intel Corporation revealed that the South China Sea topic is currently facing 75 percent of negative mentions across social and non-social media platforms in the Philippines, citing various issues concerning the disputed waters. Capstone-Intel Corporation is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Background In 2016, a landmark maritime dispute was decided in favor of the Philippines by an international tribunal in The Hague. The panel came to the conclusion that China had no legal foundation to claim historic rights over the majority of the South China Sea. This ruling was a significant victory for the Philippines, which has now called the area the “West Philippine Sea.” However, China has disregarded the verdict, and according to the Philippine government, Beijing has continued to send its marine militia to Scarborough Shoal and significant seas located within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. The Philippines and the People’s Republic of China have yet to resolve the brawl, with China asserting more dominance in the South China Sea by guarding the whole area with its militia and advanced defense systems. Recently, China and the Philippines lodged mutual accusations over the instigation of crashes within a contentious region of the South China Sea. These incidents mark the most recent occurrences in a series of maritime conflicts between the two nations, thereby exacerbating tensions within the area. According to an official statement, Philippine officials have reported that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel engaged in hazardous obstruction tactics, resulting in a collision with a Philippine vessel transporting provisions to military personnel deployed at Ayungin Shoal, alternatively referred to as Second Thomas Shoal, situated within the Spratly Islands territory. According to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, China’s actions can be characterized as “provocative, irresponsible, and illegal,” posing a threat to the safety of the crew members on the Philippine boats. In a statement, the Chinese Coast Guard lodged allegations against the Philippines, asserting that the latter had contravened established principles of international maritime law and posed a risk to the safe navigation of Chinese vessels. The Chinese Coast Guard ship intercepted the first Philippine ship, which it accused of trespassing into the waters it refers to as the Nansha Islands and Renai Reef. Methodology Capstone-Intel conducted a one-month backtracking of posts across social and non-social media platforms in order to determine how Filipinos reacted to the issue. The agency utilized its customized social listening tools in order to gather data across all publicly available posts on social media from September 23 to October 23, which covers the recent collision within the South China Sea, in order to identify the sentiments of users about the topic. Facebook Performance Capstone-Intel Data showed that on Facebook, the topic received a total of 38,245 Facebook reactions, with Facebook Like reactions getting the majority of these numbers with 28,205 (73.7 percent). This was followed by heart reactions with 4,684 (12.2 percent), “haha” reactions with 3,390 (8.9) percent, angry reactions with 1,332 (3.5 percent), and sad reactions with one percent. This information showed varied reactions from the public as investigations remain underway. Sentiment Analysis When looking at the mentions it generated across social and non-social media platforms, Capstone-Intel found that there were a total of 75 percent negative mentions online and 25 percent positive mentions. These mentions led to the total 45 million social media reach it has received during one-month backtracking. On the other hand, when the study was conducted, issues concerning safety within the area rose as the primary topics being discussed online. The phrase “Unsafe China Sea’ received a 19 percent share of voice online, while its interaction share is reportedly at 9.9 percent. Top posts In terms of top posts, Capstone-Intel Corp. found that a social media post from the Armed Forces of the Philippines about a naval vessel belonging to the Philippine Navy that issued a warning to a Chinese Navy vessel due to its hazardous maneuvers within the territorial waters of Pag-Asa became the top post for the issue with a 905.6 engagement score. This was followed by a multimedia report from PTV4, which reports about the Department of National Defense, Sec. Teodoro’s insistence that it is necessary to oppose China’s intention to control the entire South China Sea, especially since the Philippines has sovereign rights in the area, This story received a total of 369.4 engagement scores. The third top story regarding the issue was about President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who underscored the critical significance of peace and security in the South China Sea and Arabian Sea during the ASEAN-GCC Summit.
‘Magandang Dilag’ continues to receive positive reviews from audience
In a similar and parallel study previously conducted by Capstone-Intel, the data showed that the teleserye Abot Kamay na Pangarap was a show that consistently trended on social media. The data also showed a similar trend with another show, Magandang Dilag. Capstone-Intel looks into the overall public sentiment of this show as well. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency. Methodology From August 10, 2023 to October 10, 2023, Capstone-Intel utilized its social listening tools in order to scan publicly available social media accounts for their posts that mention the show “Magandang Dilag.” It should be noted that there were no specific demographics or personal data that were tracked. Results from Facebook performance Online, “Magandang Dilag” was able to garner a number of mentions throughout social media. On X (formerly Twitter), there were 99 unique posts mentioning the show, 2 posts on Tiktok, 44 News websites made their own mentions as well. There were 33 mentions on various blogs and 47 mentions across various video-streaming websites as well. There were also 22 mentions on different websites online. On Facebook, there are a total of 1,099 unique posts that mention the show Magandang Dilag specifically. The consolidated count among all these posts rounds up to 255,621 total comments, 79,009 total shares, and a reaction count of 10,969,865. This all adds up to an engagement score of 1,201,557.6. Dominant reaction, top stories In terms of the most engaged stories that fall under this topic, all three of the Top 3 posts serve as promotional materials for the show, which have all been received relatively well by the audience, which indicates a general support for the show. The first promotional post was able to get an engagement score of 48,497.5. This was possible due to all the significantly positive reactions to the post.The reactions can be broken down by the kinds of reactions. The post itself had 179,389 Like reactions (44.8 percent), 205,529 Love reactions (51.4 percent), 8987 Haha reactions (2.2 percent), 3732 Wow reactions (0.9 percent), 1961 Sad reactions (0.5 percent), and 565 Angry reactions (0.1 percent). The second promotional material was able to get an engagement score almost on par with the first, with it sitting at a score of 35,537.8. The reactions on this post also yield a similar pattern to the top post. Of the total reaction count, it can be broken down as 138,804 Like reactions (42.6 percent), 181,043 Love reactions (55.5 percent), 4495 Haha reactions (1.4 percent), 1506 Wow reactions (.5 percent), 89 Sad reactions, and 101 Angry reactions that count for less than 0.5 percent in the total count. Finally, the post with the third highest engagement score, with 26,328.4. This was able to receive 115,796 Like reactions (49 percent), 114,136 Love reactions (48.3 percent), 3011 Haha reactions (1.3 percent), 1556 Wow reactions (0.7 percent), 1573 Sad reactions (0.7 percent), and 264 Angry reactions (0.1 percent). Overall, there is a clear pattern of overwhelming support coming from the fanbase of this show. Through the positive reception of promotional materials that contain clips from the show itself, it indicates the overall positive sentiment of online users with regard to this show. Added to this is the consistently high engagement score for each of the posts on the show’s official Facebook page.
Mindanao Regions Show Strong Support for the Restoration of ROTC Program
The government is planning the restoration of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. This is designed to provide senior high school students with a unique combination of academic learning and practical military experience in areas such as nationalism, patriotism, national defense, and disaster preparedness. In order to gather relevant data on this topic, a national survey was conducted by Capstone-Intel Corporation. The study included a total of 1,210 participants from 17 distinct regions from September 25-30, 2023. The respondents, spanning an age range of 18 to 65 or older, consisted of a nearly equal proportion of males (51%) and females (49%). Upon careful analysis of the collected data, it became evident that there is significant support for the revival of the ROTC program, particularly in the Mindanao regions. The support levels varied from 71.43% to 86.05%. The level of support varied across the regions, with BARMM demonstrating the highest support rate of 86.05%. The Davao Region showed support at 83.5%, followed by SOCCSKSARGEN at 77.08%, and Caraga region at 71.43%. Meanwhile, other regions that displayed substantial support include CAR with a support rate of 77.78%, Cagayan Valley with 72.97%, and Central Luzon 69.50%. The regions with the lowest percentage of support are from the NCR (66.45%), Western Visayas (64.84%), and CALABARZON (64.61%). During a recent radio interview with Dr. Guido David, Chief Data Scientist of Capstone-Intel, discussed the desire of the local population to reinstate the ROTC program in their regions. He emphasized that these communities perceive a need for the ROTC because of some instability in their areas. According to Capstone-Intel, it is important to recognize that while there is widespread support among Filipinos for the reinstatement of the ROTC Program in senior high schools, there are valid reasons for withdrawing support for mandatory participation in ROTC. According to the data, the reasons why they can change their minds are as follows: no assurance of safeguarding students from abuses (58%), followed by more expenses (37%), mental health effects (32%), if it is mandatory (28%), and no class syllabus and objectives (23%). “The ROTC program’s objective is commendable as it aims to shape well-rounded individuals who are not only knowledgeable about their country’s defense and disaster preparedness but also possess a strong sense of patriotism and national identity,” said Capstone-Intel. “It is imperative for policymakers to conduct a careful examination of the implementation of the ROTC program to ensure its alignment with the objectives and values of the educational institutions involved. This will enhance the clarity of the program. In order to address any concerns and facilitate a smooth and well-coordinated reintroduction of ROTC, it is crucial to engage in open and transparent dialogue with students, parents, and guardians,” it added. **** To know more about the data, please click here. Capstone-Intel is a high-impact research company that uses innovative research technologies, tools, and methods to convert data and information into breakthrough insights and actionable intelligence outputs. It is committed to helping its clients solve problems, find solutions, grow markets and constituencies, build reputations, navigate risks, manage crises, and be the country’s leading private research and intelligence agency.
